The summer renewal project for Malabar Farm State Park is finished, thanks to funding from the ODNR and help from local companies and volunteers.

Officials with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources deserve credit for spending the summer restoring the exterior of the Big House at Malabar Farm State Park.

The place looks majestic and once again deserves its customary description as a showplace.

Author Louis Bromfield built the house in 1939 and 1940. Since then, it had accumulated 15 to 20 coats of paint. Cedar siding and some of the building's support structure had rotted. It would be unfair to say the exterior maintenance had been ignored for all of those years. But, it would be appropriate to say the maintenance was so spotty the grand old home was in poor condition.

The landscaping also had deteriorated, particularly within the terraced gardens on the south end of the house. The retaining wall on the back side of the house also was in bad shape.

But that all changed this summer with a recommitment by the state to the historic building that is so important to the history and culture of north central Ohio.

All the coats of lead-based paint were carefully removed and new layers of bright white paint were applied. All the siding and structure that had deteriorated were replaced. Great care was taken to cut and shape the support lumber just as it was when Bromfield built the house.

The terraced garden was simply restored. The layers of large sandstone blocks were straightened and supported. The garden once again flows beautifully to the pond below, just as it did when Bromfield was there.

Much of the work was facilitated by help from local companies, residents and volunteers.

Current ODNR officials admit the Big House had been allowed to decay by the administrations of multiple governors. Next up is the interior of the house. Upstairs rooms are largely off limits to visitors because they don't look like they should.

It may sound hokey to say Bromfield would approve of what has been done, but it is true that he would. If you haven't seen the results of all of the exterior work, the fall is a great time to go take a new look.

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Malabar face-lift was much needed

Officials with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources deserve credit for spending the summer restoring the exterior of the Big House at Malabar Farm State Park.